Path 2

Path 2

The Blame America First Crowd

September 13, 2009

Mark Hemingway at NRO posts a reader’s jaundiced take on US journalism

Mark, believe me, I hope the Daily Mail is right. But crowd estimates aside, I’m almost incredulous at that Daily Mail report. It’s a fairly straight report, and it’s fair! What American media outlet would print this:

Richard Brigle, 57, a Vietnam War veteran and former Teamster, came
from Michigan. He said health care needs to be reformed – but not
according to President Barack Obama’s plan.

Among the outlets which picked up the story off the AP wire at the same time the Mail did, according to Google News: the Bellingham Herald, the Buffalo News, the Houston Chronicle, the Coast Reporter, and MLive (the Detroit News and Free Press), although all of those went with the accurate “tens of thousands” lead rather than the teabagger-provided two million number used in the Mail’s piece (amusing graphic representation of the difference here).

The passage which amused me the most was this

Race also became an issue when a black Republican leader denounced
African-American politicians that she said had an “affinity” for
socialism.

“I’m outraged prominent black politicians use the race card” to
cover up their failed policies, said Deneen Borelli of New York.